YPAW 8: Derek Koh

I have so much respect for fellow musicians who decides to pick up a new instrument. In these situations, more often than not, the musician will be adding on to their skill set by picking up an instrument that is either quite close to the principal instrument (eg. euphonium and trombone) or the piano (normal/compulsory amongst European conservatories). It is quite rare to switch to another instrument that is wildly different. I would be almost inconceivable when I tell you that my guest today gave up his career as an award winning Yangqin (扬琴, Chinese Dulcimer) player and is now a freelance Percussionist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. The success that he has managed is down to his drive for excellence, dedication to his craft and passion to music, which proves that no learning curve is too big for you to overcome. Apart from a strong local presence, Derek has also received fellowship positions from Oprheus Chamber Orchestra (New York), Aspen Music Festival (Aspen, Colorado), Miami Music Festival (Miami, Florida), and PRISMA Festival, (British Columbia).

Since his return to Singapore, rumour has it that his DOTA2 MMR has been on a decline but what I can say for certain is that Derek has started to establish his unique voice as a performer, most recently composing a brand new work, "Flushing Chinatown", to be premiered by Ding Yi Music Company with him as the soloist. The concert was unfortunately called off due to the Covid-19 situation. But you can hear short snippet of this piece along with the explanation of the piece HERE.

Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the podcast! You can get in touch with me through https://www.youplayawhat.com . Subscribe and share this podcast with your friends if you enjoyed the episode. Feel free to leave a rating and review on which ever platform you choose to listen to your podcast!